1. Field of the Invention
The present invention discloses apparatus and methods for separating fractions of recyclable, processed material and/or trash, some fractions having monetary value.
2. Description of Related Art
Material recycling is an important industry due to decreasing landfill capacity, environmental concerns and diminishing natural resources. Many industries and communities have adopted recycling programs, voluntary or mandatory, for reusable materials. Until recently, most trash collection efforts delivered waste materials, separated at the source, e.g. by the home owner, to a Material Recovery Facilities (MRF). In an effort to improve the economies of collection municipalities are changing from curbside, source-separated to single stream, commingled, recycling methods. Many residential homes in North America have three choices: a container for green or yard waste, a container for solid waste or garbage and a container for recyclables; the trend is toward the same system for collections from apartments and businesses. When these materials are brought to a Materials Recovery Facility, MRF, recyclable materials are mixed together in a heterogeneous mass. This mixed, recyclable mass includes newspaper, magazines, mail inserts, mixed office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and other materials that may be recycled and some non-recyclable materials as well. Improvements in MRF design are required to handle the entire array of commingled material. A typical MRF recycles between about 40 to 90%, by weight, of the “recyclables” and landfills the balance, typically termed “the residual”. Actual data is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4b; recyclables constitute about 62% of collected material in this Florida county. When a collecting entity collects recyclables separate from trash about 70% of the total stream is projected to be reclaimed. The instant invention is focused on the “residual”; residual is material left over after a first MRF processes, or separates out, items for “primary” recovery. In most cases there is sufficient economic value in residual to more than pay for additional processing based upon the instant invention disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,706; U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730; U.S. Pat. No. 7,757,863; U.S. Pat. No. 7,893,378; U.S. Pat. No. 7,994,448; U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,933; and U.S. 2003/0062294 are examples of equipment developed to separate what is termed “single-stream” waste into fractions which have economic value and are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. Currently, the single most abundant recyclable waste product is newspaper and other paper based products. The products of CP Manufacturing, as exemplified in two of the above references, are focused primarily on recovering paper, plastic containers and metal cans. These items can represent 70 to 95% of the economic value in recyclable waste as it is constituted today. Additional background information can be found in: [1] “Directions for Recycling Plastics and Managing Plastics Residues”; Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC); March 2002; [2] “Plastics Sorting Optimization Guide”; Environment and Plastics Institute of Canada (EPIC); [3] “Materials Recovery Facility Technology Review”; Kessler Consulting, Inc.; September 2009; [4] “Materials Recovery Facility Feasibility Study”; Kessler Consulting, Inc.; September 2009; the four documents are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. [5] SCAVINO, EDGAR, et al.; “Application of automated image analysis to the identification and extraction of recyclable plastic bottles”; Jl. Zhejiang University SCI A; 2009 10(6); 794; all are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730 discloses equipment developed to separate what is termed “single-stream” waste into fractions; one fraction is termed “news screen fines” (NSF); NSF is material characterized by being less than about 2.5″ in one dimension such that a screen, optionally vibrating, is a suitable separating device. FIG. 1 is from U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730; Fraction 1, [element 105], is the focus of U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730; Fraction 2, [108], is part of the focus of the instant invention along with other residual streams. The U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730 invention enables separation of most, recyclable, waste products, including newspaper and other paper based products. U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,730 focuses on reclaiming those materials (under five inches) and offers significant economic value to users.
Most recycling operators, termed MRF's, focus on separating a waste stream into fractions comprising cardboard and newspaper, mixed waste paper, glass, aluminum, PET, HDPE, and Tin; see FIG. 3. These seven materials have the most value and volume; as used herein, these materials are defined as the Big 7. Typically, Big 7 materials are sorted by material type when the volume of these sorted fractions is large enough to sell in truckload quantities on a monthly basis. These materials are also defined as High Critical Mass Materials. Characteristics of High Critical Mass Materials are: (1) once separated they have value and can be sold to markets on a predictable and consistent basis (2) given the value and the volume, the MRF is able to invest in equipment to separate and meet end user quality specifications (3) the materials are used in a home frequently enough where the resident has well established habits of placing in the recycling bin and (4) two or more end users or recycling facilities are available in the area such that a MRF has a buyer for the recovered, separated material.
Several significant trends are changing the landscape for single stream material recovery facilities creating a need for secondary and/or tertiary sorting systems to assist in further separation. (1) Introduction of new packaging materials that are less harmful to the environment or are cheaper to use than the “Big 7”. (2) Residents are confused as to what is recyclable and what is not; people tend to throw anything that is “dry” in the recycling container. (3) “Big 7” materials are not the only materials in the stream and (4) manufacturers of new packaging (non-Big 7) are motivated to label their package as recyclable so that these products have an end of life story that includes recycling. These trends and the existing mechanized system for separating single stream materials at MRFs present an opportunity to capture, by separation, materials a MRF cannot process economically with currently available equipment. The material not separated by material type at a MRF is “unprocessed garbage, also termed “the residual”, and is sent to a landfill; alternatively residual is exported so that less expensive labor can “mine” for the big 7 and other economic items. Materials a MRF cannot separate economically are increasing in volume. MRF designs call for separation of the big 7; however municipalities and residents tend to throw other items into the recycling bin which results in cross-contamination of the big 7 and additional residual after the first MRF separates the material. Typically, the collection process is fixed at 3 containers at a residence or a commercial business; the need to separate additional material the first MRF cannot is increasing and is the purpose of the instant invention.
Driven by the value of plastics, optical sorting capable of segregating by plastic type has become prevalent. However the complexity of today's waste stream with multiple sized bottles and various shaped containers erodes the efficiency of conventional optical sorting equipment. It is advantageous to increase the sorting selectivity and capability applied to a recyclable stream such that a finer resolution of various material sizes and types is achieved. In this manner a higher level of recyclable material can be reclaimed and still maintain a value proposition.
Creating a capability to separate mixed and rigid plastics creates operational efficiencies for a first MRF. The first MRF can focus on high critical mass plastics, types resin no. 1 (PET) and resin no. 2 (HDPE). The quality of both an initial separation stream and a secondary separation stream improves when the first MRF has an outlet for materials it cannot separate economically. A local processing option allows the first MRF to focus on quality of the big 7 materials it is designed to separate; the instant invention provides this local processing option. Pressure to separate large volumes results in cross contamination of the big 7; additionally, pressure to reduce residual disposal to landfills results in adding a percentage of mixed plastics or residual to the big 7 outbound loads; the instant invention reduces this “contamination”. Brand owners who use plastics not made of resin no. 1 or no. 2 benefit from a local processing option that can identify and recycle their package material. Extended producer responsibility laws or shareholder pressure due to sustainability goals set by corporations and shareholder activists force brand owners to determine how best to recycle their product and package. A local processing option for materials a first MRF cannot process gives these brands data on the end of life for their package and also a potential separation solution. This data may be used to develop an EPR, Extended Producer Responsibility report, or other report to local municipalities, states, and manufacturers on recycling rates. Furthermore, the data capture capability built into the instant invention provides information to manufacturers by material type with a built in capability to identify brand type. This data assists manufacturers and municipalities to calculate recycling rates by material type and/or brand, the cost to recycle by material type and/or brand and the carbon footprint for end of life by material type and/or brand. Metrics across recycling rates for all plastics types including mixed media plastics are critical data and valuable to many stakeholders. Capturing this data prior to shipping the material offshore or landfill or for use in an alternative energy generator is critical to material manufacturers and brand owners. Critical given trends in EPR and diversion at the State level. The instant invention e enables a network of secondary MRFs that provide critical data across low critical mass packaging that is in the existing and future recycling systems. This national data base will be critical to EPR advocates who are looking to define the costs associated with recycling materials and brands after a consumer discards via recycling in the current three bin system. Manufacturers who choose to make a product or package must also insure they dispose of that package at the end of life; when the manufacturer provides for or enables a recycling end of life solution the product scores better with consumers and governments rating agencies concerned with carbon footprint and landfill usage.